Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-08-07

A Merk That l. Faulty
Rrsm BeEinning = End.
Msny q tks Insssurseiss Bsyeaa Z
Dsuba AstrEbuEahls - tha csssly
Juni.s Ksehszasr Abstrast-

0ounfy asNazsEeDeaL b11 tne 49, ~
ess1ivs ana inaeeaez1s ons of Al mas
have ssms Under cur psEssnai enssFsa-
sisn : tAaa oo1fainsd in Ne sounty tax-
rull walsh roe lies In tbs hands Of ne
AndI1oR f0R esEssski1n By he Ooanfy
OomuiasiensEs. II does net sssu 10 Ne
panuibas that . worse tax roll. in any
fsakuEs, vas ever elaborated foE sxaD-
inatisa By any sqaalizina board, O. fer
the riehisozs iadEsaaiioa and justiaa-
be criticism Of harshIy-taxsd tsx-pay-
En-.
Ths lax 81 systsm IN placing valnss
ID ths dKsf striking illustration from tns
new roll, ths eases being not tsu N
which unfmprevsd town lots are taxed q
a. enoTmou8 aR1fe compared With their
real value. while improved lots alonR.
side are taxed e 0ne half OF o9e-s third q
that hgars. Many persons and macn
fEnd b
Assessed AT numous RATES,
a. mors. IN fast, thsn the property
woui6 bFina fer years under The most
txanendoas boom, Il ever. The large
msioEity Of people aEe Eainoassy -
sssse6. The average rate dedaeed from
kha total sAiuation which individuals
mnst pay lif they Do noe complain 10
ths Board OF Equalization nov sitting
fer the sxRrees p1rpoas Of making taxa
tion eauaI and unifoEn and correctinR
estimates 81 valae. 60; and 1.-THE Bo2rd
viii NOS rselifyl b three times as much
a. vas raid en the same o. similar Erop-
eFty last year; and IN many cases this
yesr's rata viii elevate the tax to indi-
viduaIs Ave times HIGHER than for the
year pasa, al Of which mast be auaz-
|fn9iy dsIiahtful 10 The property owners
in King conuty. Let the property oSn-
ers in BsattIe underBtsBd thai the law
compsis than 10 pay city taxes - well
as eoanty taxes, and that the city rolls
Variations are ariexously high this year,
too, bang undeF tie same regime, and
/ tie Rrindinz baRden Of taxation he-
comes the more grinding in the e0ntem-
plation. Before the tax year expires Il
viii bsoouss more grinding still In aGtu-
Il realization, unless the legal remedial
powers (tha Oounfy Commission and
| he City Counciimen) dc their proper
dusy c0nsoientiously for their respective
II Ilf4AML44AA24Aa4AAa
IL aa burning shame that Q tax-FolI
| Il produoed which would in fairness call
/ forth Q personal complaint 10 the
EqualizinR Beard frsm nearly
KvxHx REzDznT AND PsoPEETI oExEn
In King county for excsssigsnsss snd
/ lack Of equality and uniformity 10 as
sessmenfs made thereof. We pity the
nonresident owners, who share In TIE
general misfoFtune and who do not
veil know our laws; who depend on
1 Last years ratinQB TO calculate from and
| do not dream Of being called on foF %
much more on their properties than
they paid last year; Who do not secure
representation Of their interests before
| the remedial tribunals, and Who, when
too late, will be enlightened TO thstr
sorrow Is 20 their heavy mulctinGs AZ
the dictation Of an irresponsible As
SCISSOR.
The eoanty roll has assessed many
for personal property and omitted many
alsoRethef Who own similar property a.
vaiuabie. While all Of the taxable real
estate seems taxed, because the Asses
soFs had the land in township or city
plats before them and OuRht not 20
have allowed any land to escape them,
and while ve have NOT yet discovered
any omitted lands. ne find that great
deal Of property is
KRRoNEousLY TAXED
To owners who had sold Il before the
taxing date, some many years before.
This feature will pat many persons %
the expense and worry Of finding oui
back -owneFp, Sometimes many removes
II r. l. - -
will cause @ vast amount OF vexation.
Then again, soma real estate has been
taxed eFroneously 10 parties vbs never
owned 10 or had any interest In il; and
Heaven only knows how this will all Be
cleared up. Moreover, the sworn de-
tail sheets Of property owned at the
taxing date have been manRled By lines
of erasure or Of additional property
written In By the assessor OF bis depu.
ties. aud the property erased OF added
has been IN some cases taxed 10 back
owners or 10 wrong owners.
The listing II the lands Of the asses
| soE vas done from the detail sheets and
from 9 list Of lands prepared under the
eontract made By the County Commits
sionsrs With Junius Rochester, at Q cost
70 the county Of nearly $500, and manS
Of the
xKnoRs or OWNERSHIP
Are teaeesble directly 10 the Rochester
abstract, upon which the assessor re-
lied. In many instances the assessor
appears 10 have struck on land from
the detail sheets e. handed In by the
proper owner, than to have taFned 10
R0ehesteF's abstract and 10 have taken
Of therefEom the name of the owner az
there parpoEtsd. and then 10 have
saddled that name, often being the
wrong owner, sith The property in ths
assessment roll. And be appears also
10 have taken the Rochester abstract as
true for all owners or nearly all the
owners nonresident or who failed TO
liBs their landa.
The mistakes il that abstract are
many IN number, and ought not 70 have
occurred. and
WOULD nor HAVE oocURKKD
UndeF 9 competent elaboration from
the County records, and ought 10 and
would have been rectiHed under 9 con-
petent supeFYision hy the assessor, the
County Commissioners or any expert
Abstractog.
We believe that the Commissioners
have, without examination, footed the
abstraca bill end nailed King county fog
Il. They will also have 10 pay twenty
odd depaty ASSESSORS. at % per day.
during The several months period Of e.
sesament, and the assessor a. Is per day
during ell bis time Of work, inclaainQ
bic Per diem before tie Eqnalixine
Board Tbey vill Alss have 10 pay the
dspaties for ell e7tya ttne ooe6ried add
elGimsd, sid gskisas items for maps,
rogis. listing mortgages, etc, slc., the
san total Of which viii reach 70 an ex-
esasively hieh figure.
We aFrBign the CoGnty Assessor also
for iEregalAKity IN Assessments Of The
muaa property. We hare o1s striKinR
instan1e a. t6is In poiHt, where the an
divided half Of piece Of lanA b Assess
"a as $4,000 vhiie The oihsE half Il -
essaed 81 eeS 600. We also call atten-
ton 20 the fass THAI the ASSESSOR has
gone beyond Ais spheEs Ia ealculatinR
Enao assessments Of sock. ia some In
stAncea, The god Siii Of TIE eonceru,
vhich Is not tsxkbie pEopsFsy. Vel
noes stss that ahe t1cotporeal A.
sassag seems % have tSted ali Of tbs /
mortgages owned On Hing Comfy |
lots and land, 81 least All owned /
b Fesidanta and uaany q them 81 TIER /
A.. "A -. n